-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- February 25 , 2011

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• Libya • Wisconsin • Atlanta , Georgia

Transcript

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED .

NASA ANNOUNCER : Two ... one ... booster ignition ... and the final liftoff of Discovery .

CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : Of course , we will have more on that for you in today 's show , but we are getting off the ground in northern Africa . My name is Carl Azuz . CNN Student News starts right now !

First Up : Unrest in Libya

AZUZ : There are roughly 6,000 Americans in Libya , and the U.S. government is trying to get them out . A ferry that was chartered to take hundreds of U.S. citizens from Libya to Malta was held up for a while yesterday . U.S. officials said everyone onboard was safe . They said the delay was because of the weather .

Meanwhile , Libya 's leader , Moammar Gadhafi , is blaming the violence in his country on young people . He says they 're taking some sort of pills and being manipulated by the al Qaeda terrorist group . But during a speech earlier this week , President Obama said what 's going on in that part of the world has nothing to do with outside influences .

U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA : So let me be clear . The change that is taking place across the region is being driven by the people of the region . This change does n't represent the work of the United States or any foreign power . It represents the aspirations of people who are seeking a better life .

Political Unrest

AZUZ : Looking around that region , starting next door to Libya in Algeria . The country has lifted a 19-year-old state of emergency , and what that means is that people there have greater freedom of speech and assembly now . Moving south to Cameroon , where protesters are demanding that the country 's president step down . He 's been in power for nearly 30 years and is running for re-election this year . Finally , Yemen , where eight lawmakers resigned to protest violence against people who are demonstrating against the government . One of the lawmakers said , `` I resigned because there 's been no respect by the government for human rights . ''

Is This Legit ?

JOHN LISK , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Is this legit ? The space shuttle Discovery is named after sailing ships . This one 's true ! The shuttle is named after two ships that explored the world .

Final Mission

AZUZ : The space shuttle Discovery has made more trips into space than any other craft . All together , the shuttle 's spent almost a full year in orbit around the Earth . Yesterday , Discovery set out on its 39th and last mission , delivering equipment to the international space station . This was Discovery 's first launch , back in 1984 . And these launches are n't cheap . NASA estimates that every time a shuttle takes off , it costs nearly half a billion dollars . After Discovery 's current mission , there are just two launches left for the space shuttle program .

Budget Battle

AZUZ : We 've been reporting on this controversial budget bill in Wisconsin . You can check our transcript archives for details on that . Now , it was scheduled to come up for a vote yesterday , but only in the State House of Representatives . Things are not moving forward in the Wisconsin Senate . And that 's because Democratic senators have left the state in an effort to try to block any vote on the bill . You can get the latest details on this situation at CNN.com .

Teachers ' Lounge

AZUZ : Our latest Teachers ' Lounge blog asks for your opinions about a controversial budget decision in Detroit . The city 's planning to close half of its public schools . And teachers , we want to hear your thoughts on this . Enter the Teachers ' Lounge from our home page : CNNStudentNews.com !

Shoutout

TOMEKA JONES , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Today 's Shoutout goes out to Mr. Bozic 's world geography class at Cypress Creek High School in Houston , Texas ! Willie O'Ree was the first African-American to play in what sports league ? Was it the : A -RRB- MLB , B -RRB- NBA , C -RRB- NFL or D -RRB- NHL ? You 've got three seconds -- GO ! Willie O'Ree made his debut in the National Hockey League in 1958 . That 's your answer and that 's your Shoutout !

Diversity in Hockey

AZUZ : Willie O'Ree paved the way for other African-Americans to hit the NHL ice . As we continue our commemoration of Black History Month , we 're taking a look at the diversity on the Atlanta Thrashers ' roster . Richelle Carey sat down with the team 's four African-Americans to talk about life as a minority pro hockey player .

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RICHELLE CAREY , HLN ANCHOR : I want each one of you to tell me what you like about hockey . Sell me on hockey ! Sell me !

EVANDER KANE , THRASHERS LEFT WINGER : Hockey is the fastest , most physical sport there is .

JOHNNY ODUYA , THRASHERS DEFENSEMAN : The teamwork , too . I would say a total package sport .

ANTHONY STEWART , THRASHERS RIGHT WINGER : I just like skating fast , ever since I was three .

DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN , THRASHERS DEFENSEMAN : I guess it 's just something about being on the ice that I enjoy . It 's just me being out there , having fun and enjoying the people around me .

CAREY : What 's the biggest misconception or false assumption that people make about you ?

BYFUGLIEN : This guy ca n't stand on skates .

ODUYA : Maybe in Atlanta , you tell people that you 're a hockey player and they do n't believe you .

CAREY : What do you think ?

ODUYA : I do n't know . Maybe basketball or baseball , I have no idea .

CAREY : Who here knew that they were going to be a professional hockey player ? Anybody here know that ?

STEWART : I knew probably when I was in grade one . We had an assignment to say what you wanted to be when you grew up . And I said , `` Hockey player , '' and she said , `` Pick something else . '' And I said , `` No , I 'm going to be a hockey player , '' and I stuck with it .

CAREY : Did anybody try to steer you to something different , because you do n't look out on the ice that often and see people of color ? Did someone say this is n't the right fit for you ?

KANE : No , I think , honestly , it was almost the opposite . My dad really instilled that drive in me to battle through that kind of stuff , battle through adversity , and that 's what made me so successful .

CAREY : Anybody else feel that they were steered in a different direction for racial reasons at all ?

STEWART : I grew up sort of in an urban neighborhood and , you know , a lot of my friends are playing basketball and sports like that . I 'd go play a little bit of basketball , but after an hour I 'd get bored of it , so I 'd say , `` I have to go play hockey now . '' And they would go , `` Uh , naw , you 're not going to make it in hockey , so you might as well play basketball '' or something like that . But I had some support from my parents . That helped me a lot . All my close friends to date were minor hockey players , and their support helped get me to where I am today .

CAREY : We always hear about hockey as , it 's an expensive sport for kids who want to play . And often , maybe , that 's why minority kids do n't get into it . Explain , why is it so expensive ?

STEWART : I think when you have to pay $ 500 for a pair of skates as opposed to a $ 20 basketball or $ 50 pair of soccer shoes , it makes a lot more sense to play those sports . But there 's a lot of community initiatives right now in the NHL helping urban kids . And with the Hockey Is For Everyone program that 's helping not so fortunate kids play , they 're making good strides .

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Before We Go

AZUZ : Finally today , with the space shuttle program winding down , we 're looking back at the 132 missions that have come before . And just for fun , we 're gon na do it in 132 seconds . Start the countdown .

-LSB- VIDEO PACKAGE OF ALL 132 SHUTTLE LAUNCHES -RSB-

Goodbye

AZUZ : Seeing all that video can leave you feeling spacy ! Before we launch into the weekend , we thank our fans on Facebook for all of your `` likes '' at Facebook.com / CNNStudentNews . And we 're working on a new video for you , so be on the lookout for that next week . Hope you all have a great weekend . I 'm Carl Azuz .

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President Obama discusses the driving force behind political unrest overseas

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Space shuttle Discovery takes flight for its 39th and final mission to space

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Hear what life is like for some African-American players in professional hockey

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